Anonymous wrote:I went there for 9 years and graduated almost 15 years ago.

I thought it was a great school, and you couldn't find a more dedicated group of teachers. The place does get a little high on itself, however, I really like that the new headmaster is an outsider.

Its reputation didn't exactly mesh with reality when I was a student, and I gather that's even more so the case now.

When I attended it felt like at least half the students did not fit the school's reputation. I gather this is even more the case since the school has been trying hard ever since the 2010 Huguely disgrace at UVA to counter its existing reputation.

I think it says a lot that the head of the middle school is a) a woman and b) a lesbian.

Landon isn't the most "21st century compatible" of DC's private schools. That said, Landon in 2016 has distanced itself greatly from the Landon of 1986, 1996, or even 2006.

Nothing reinforces my last comment more than Landon's sports, which are getting worse and worse with each passing year.

It's definitely not the place it used to be, but reputations do take time to change.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After snowzilla, Jim Neill visited my son's lower school class room and asked for a show of hands how many boys sholved snow and followed up with how many did it for no pay. I thought this was a great way to follow-up on his email message. Jim Neill is a wonderful Headmaster and we are lucky to have him.

I can't speak about MS or US (though I have only heard good things so far) but the LS head has also been great about focusing on helping the boys understand the importance of doing the right thing, even if the right thing is hard or not popular.

Our son is extremely happy at Landon and we have been impressed by the academics as well as the focus on strong character building. Good luck on your decision.

This is another example of country club atmosphere. What about the FA kids who need that money? Yes, shovel for an elderly person for free but I wouldn't want my son to be made to feel "less than" because he shovels for money too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You get what you get when you sign upfront Landon. It is primarily made up of the country club/clubby set. Not all, but definitely the dominant feeling at the school.

I have mixed feelings about this statement as a Landon parent. One, are you one? I think there is a perception, and if you go to the Azalea Festival and that's your main association with the school, it is certainly filled with pink and green and critter shorts. But when you are at the school, I don't think it feels that way at all. I also wonder what specifically you mean by this short- hand. We belong to a country club, primarily for golf as my husband is a big golfer. It's a nice place, but doesn't define us. We don't really spend a lot of time there and most of our friends are from other parts of our lives. I think this is true of many people who belong to country clubs in 2016. It is a preppy school, I will give you that. It's hardly all white and Protestant though, sounds like it may have been 20 years ago, but that has changed a lot. Anyway, just a few further thoughts on the topic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After snowzilla, Jim Neill visited my son's lower school class room and asked for a show of hands how many boys sholved snow and followed up with how many did it for no pay. I thought this was a great way to follow-up on his email message. Jim Neill is a wonderful Headmaster and we are lucky to have him.

I can't speak about MS or US (though I have only heard good things so far) but the LS head has also been great about focusing on helping the boys understand the importance of doing the right thing, even if the right thing is hard or not popular.

Our son is extremely happy at Landon and we have been impressed by the academics as well as the focus on strong character building. Good luck on your decision.

This is another example of country club atmosphere. What about the FA kids who need that money? Yes, shovel for an elderly person for free but I wouldn't want my son to be made to feel "less than" because he shovels for money too.

Anonymous wrote:After snowzilla, Jim Neill visited my son's lower school class room and asked for a show of hands how many boys sholved snow and followed up with how many did it for no pay. I thought this was a great way to follow-up on his email message. Jim Neill is a wonderful Headmaster and we are lucky to have him.

I can't speak about MS or US (though I have only heard good things so far) but the LS head has also been great about focusing on helping the boys understand the importance of doing the right thing, even if the right thing is hard or not popular.

Our son is extremely happy at Landon and we have been impressed by the academics as well as the focus on strong character building. Good luck on your decision.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You get what you get when you sign upfront Landon. It is primarily made up of the country club/clubby set. Not all, but definitely the dominant feeling at the school.

I have mixed feelings about this statement as a Landon parent. One, are you one? I think there is a perception, and if you go to the Azalea Festival and that's your main association with the school, it is certainly filled with pink and green and critter shorts. But when you are at the school, I don't think it feels that way at all. I also wonder what specifically you mean by this short- hand. We belong to a country club, primarily for golf as my husband is a big golfer. It's a nice place, but doesn't define us. We don't really spend a lot of time there and most of our friends are from other parts of our lives. I think this is true of many people who belong to country clubs in 2016. It is a preppy school, I will give you that. It's hardly all white and Protestant though, sounds like it may have been 20 years ago, but that has changed a lot. Anyway, just a few further thoughts on the topic.

Anonymous wrote:Equal treatment and not awarding top performers whether it be in the academics, athletics or the arts is not how the real world operates.

Not everyone wins on Wall Street or in the board room - what kind of liberal PC message are some of these schools trying to send to the next generation of kids.

I hope the GDS mentality stays as far away from Landon for as long as my boys are there. School should be competitive just like the real world is.

Anonymous wrote:I think there is a pretty big divide in our relative demographic between parents who think, for example, sports should be completely "fair", no cut, everyone gets a trophy, mentality and others (I will admit my bias) who think it's ok to learn that not everyone is a star, everyone has different talents, and there are winners and losers in a game. I had a parent tell me the other day that it's important to equally cheer for the opposing team. I honestly could not believe what I was hearing. I am the first to note a great play by an opposing team, or such, but cheer EQUALLY? That's really outside of my understanding. I say this as a parent of a middling, could be good athlete. He is going to learn the hard way that if you are not disciplined and have a great attitude, innate talent will only take you so far. While I am sad for him that this will be a hard lesson to learn, I also recognize it is part of why I encouraged sports in the first place. I do want him to learn this lesson, and unfortunately for him, it looks like he is going to learn it the hard way.

Anonymous wrote:Boys will be boys...

Anonymous wrote:You get what you get when you sign upfront Landon. It is primarily made up of the country club/clubby set. Not all, but definitely the dominant feeling at the school.